The Irrigation Research and Extension Committee (IREC)
Website
www.irec.org.au
Constituent groups
Irrigation Research and Extension Committee (IREC).
Region
Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and the Coleambally Irrigation Area
Main cities and towns
Griffith, Leeton, Coleambally.
Membership
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Individual irrigators and a wide range of affiliated organisations (see list below).
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3,100 broad acre newsletter distribution.
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1,600 horticultural newsletter distribution.
Natural Resource Base
2,200,000 ML water used (total 2002)
1,100,000 ML water used (non-rice / non-hort. 2002 est. based on MI).
(Not including river and groundwater pumpers).
Main Farming Enterprises
Rice.
Winter cereals (wheat, barley, triticale, oats).
Faba beans.
Canola.
Meat (prime lambs, beef).
Maize (grain, silage).
Fodder (lucerne, pasture).
Soybeans.
Fruit and viticulture.
Formal Structure
Two components:
Subcommittees have changed and evolved in response the various needs over the years.
Current subcommittees are:
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Drainage Subcommittee
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MIA Fruit Fly Campaign Committee
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Cropping Systems Subcommittee
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Vegetable Subcommittee
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Irrigated Farm Competition Subcommittee
-
Rice Research & Development Committee
Main Activities
Irrigated farm competition.
Farmers' Newsletter (magazine format).
Industry representation.
Secretariat to the Tri-State Fruit Fly Committee.
Rice grower's manual.
Distribution and sales of vegetable grower's manual.
Support for sub-committees.
Executive (paymaster) services to some local R&D personnel.
Annual cropping systems seminar day.
Support for Price Risk Management Group.
Support for Rice Technology Transfer projects.
Affiliated Organisations
NSW Dept Primary Industry, CSIRO Land & Water, ICF, DLWC, agribusiness, Irrigation water providers and commodity representative groups.
Other General Information
Brief history - In order to address the many problems faced by the settlers in the early days of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA), three government agencies, the Water Conservation & Irrigation Commission, the Department of Agriculture and CSIR (now CSIRO) came together to form the Irrigation Research & Extension Committee in 1939.
About the same time irrigators’ own organisations and their marketing co-operatives were also coming together and in 1941 a joint executive committee of growers’ organisations was formed. This committee, the government agencies committee (IREC) and an advisory committee of CSIR worked along separate but parallel lines until in 1947, the three committees came together to form the IREC of today.
The aim of IREC is to coordinate research and extension work in the MIA and the Coleambally Irrigation Area (CIA) and to create the environment to enable the Research Scientist, the Advisory Officer and the Farmer to work as a team. IREC works with representatives of the farming community, government agencies and agricultural service industries. There is an increasing role for IREC to work with the Rural Industry R&D Corporations, funded by grower levies and the Federal Government, to work in partnership for better outcomes. IREC is currently finalising a detailed strategic planning exercise that includes collaboration with the ICF.
Vision - Working together for profitable and sustainable irrigated agriculture.
Mission - To support and enhance research and extension for continual improvement of irrigated agriculture in the Murrumbidgee Valley.
Irrigation Water Providers
Murrumbidgee Irrigation
Coleambally Irrigation
Dept. of Land and Water Conservation (Murrumbidgee and Yanco Creek).
Current Agronomic Trials & Land Dedicated for R&D
Area - 100 Ha
Water - 80 ML
Main Crops & Issues - 8 t/Ha wheat yields (yield + protein), Variety trials (cereals, soybeans), Rice varieties and management, Salinity + Waterlogging.
Committed Personnel
8 farmer board members.
Executive officer (part time).
4 NSW Dept Primary Industry extension staff.
4 NSW Dept Primary Industry research staff.
Gross Value of Production for Irrigation Regions (all commodities $million)
$510 million (from Australian Irrigation Water Provider - Benchmarking Report for 1999 - 2000)
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